1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information handling systems, and more particularly to information handling systems in which data exist in a number of different formats which must be transformed for use in the information handling system.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,810, entitled xe2x80x9cHierarchial Encoding Method and Apparatus for Efficiently Communicating Image Sequencesxe2x80x9d, teaches a method and apparatus for encoding interframe error data in an image transmission system, and in particular in a motion compensated image transmission system for transmitting a sequence of image frames from a transmitter to a receiver, and play hierarchical vector quantization and arithmetic coding to increase the data compression of the images being transmitted.
The patent deals only with binary images and successive images and is used primarily for reducing error proximations and playing back images. The patent does not teach a hierarchy that is data type oriented, does not include reduction, iteration, nor type compression, nor does it teach versioning or type extension.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,594, entitled xe2x80x9cHierarchical Encoding Method and Apparatus Employing Background References for Efficiently Communicating Image Sequencesxe2x80x9d, teaches a method and apparatus for transmitting a sequence of image frames by encoding interframe error data. The patent teaches the steps of compiling a spacially decomposed image of a background of the sequence of image frames, spacially decomposing a warped image of a previous frame, and spacially decomposing a new input image. The spacially decomposed input image is compared with the spacially decomposed background image and the spacially decomposed warped image. An error signal defining the spacially decomposed input image is generated based on these comparisons. The ""594 patent is an extension of the ""810 patent discussed above. The limitations of the ""810 patent apply equally tot he ""594 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,017, entitled xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Hierarchical Image Encoding and Decodingxe2x80x9d, teaches hierarchial encoding of an image by deriving a picture element array of binary coded intensity values representing the image and then deriving from the intensity values of the picture element array a sequence hierarchical codes consisting of one of the intensity values as the first code followed by nxe2x88x921 cyclic differences between nxe2x88x921 distinct pairs of intensity values, where n is the total number of intensity values of the picture element array.
The patent deals with image compression and Huffman encoding and does not include data type oriented hierarchy, nor does it include reduction, iteration or type compression.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,219, entitled xe2x80x9cTransforms for Digital Images in an hierarchical Environmentxe2x80x9d, teaches an image processing system which transforms higher resolution images to lower resolution images.
Byte oriented data hierarchy only captures redundant resolution. The hierarchy is not data type oriented and does not include reduction, iteration or type compression and further does not provide versioning or type extensions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,209, entitled xe2x80x9cHierarchial Entropy Coded Lattice Threshold Quantization Encoding Method and Apparatus for Image and Video Compressionxe2x80x9d, teaches method and apparatus for encoding interframe error data in an image transmission system, particularly a motion compensated image transmission system for transmitting a sequence of image frames from a transformer to a receiver, including hierarchial entropy coded lattice threshold quantization to increase the data compression of the images being transmitted.
As above, the ""209 patent only deals with image compression and does not include a data type oriented hierarchy, nor does it include reduction, iteration or type compression.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,272, entitled xe2x80x9cApparatus for Recombining Prioritized Video Dataxe2x80x9d, decodes a high definition television signal conveyed as high and low priority data in high and low priority channels, respectively, wherein the high and low priority data originated from blocks of hierarchical encoded compressed video data with data of greater importance for image reproduction of each block allocated to the high priority channel and the remaining data from each block allocated to the low priority channel.
Although the ""272 patent deals with encoding hierarchically encoded data, it does not include reduction, iteration, type compression, nor does it provide for versioning or type extension.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,448, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for High Speed Editing of Progressively Encoded Imagesxe2x80x9d, teaches an image editing method and apparatus wherein low resolution image data among hierarchically encoded image data are decoded. The decoded low resolution image data are subjected to editing, editing data representative of the editing are stored, the hierarchically encoded image data are decoded to obtain original image data, and the decoded original image data are subjected to the editing in accordance with the stored editing data.
The patent deals with replaying of an image and does not include a hierarchy which is data type oriented, nor does it include reduction, iteration or type compression nor versioning or type extension.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,153,749, entitled xe2x80x9cImage Encoding Apparatusxe2x80x9d, teaches an image encoding apparatus which includes a conversion circuit for converting binary images into multivalue image data.
As with some of the other prior art patents discussed above, the ""749 patent deals with bit level binary image data and does not deal with a hierarchy which is data type oriented, nor does it include reduction, iteration, type compression, versioning or type extension.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,655, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Encoding Data Objects on a Computer Systemxe2x80x9d, teaches a method and apparatus for real time encoding and decoding of data on a computer system. The patented apparatus or method is used with a utility which causes data objects to be encoded and decoded. The utilities include data compression utilities, data encryption utilities, and security utilities. The patented method involves the steps of opening encoded data object, starting operation of an encoding/decoding apparatus, encoding a decoded data object from a list of decoded data objects, removing the decoded data object from the list of decoded data objects, decoding the encoded data object, posting the encoded data object to a list of decoded data objects, and invoking an application associated with the data object just decoded.
The patent refers to a document architecture hierarchy. However, the patent does not provide reduction, compression, iteration, type extension, and versioning.
The prior art described above does not provide for a hierarchical type mask encoding and transformation for data and instructions in mixed formats.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to efficiently convert data and instructions in mixed formats with a mechanism for transformation and encoding which supports scalable types, versioning, dynamic type encoding, reduction, compression and iteration while maintaining minimum storage requirements and maximum system performance.
Accordingly, apparatus and method for performing hierarchial type mask encoding and data transformation includes locating a data source, loading the data source into a temporary storage, encoding heuristics for buffer transformation, and delivery of data for transformation and scalar type encoding, reduction, compression, iteration, type extension and versioning if required.
The method and apparatus according to the present invention is very powerful and general and allows data in many varied formats to be effectively encoded and transformed and used in a single data processing system.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention.